We went on our first Haven holiday. If you’re thinking of booking, here’s everything you need to know…

I spent four nights Monday-Friday at Haven Devon Cliffs Holiday Park with my husband and two sons, Odhran, 9, and Reuben, 6, in mid-August. Here's what we thought of our first Haven holiday...

First impressions

It was just after lunch time on a hot summer's day when we arrived at Haven Devon Cliffs Holiday Park in Exmouth, East Devon, and the blue sky overhead added to our sense of excitement for the beach holiday ahead. Haven Devon Cliffs sits on the coast in an area known as Sandy Bay, and it's one of Haven's biggest parks.

The grassy areas around the main entrance were well maintained with manicured flowerbeds filled with vibrant red, pink and white flowers. A cheery member of staff checked our booking through the car window, and welcomed us with a guest arrival tag to hang from the rearview mirror.

Haven has a super handy app to download before your visit, which is updated with all the information on your booking. There's a personalised map to help navigate to your holiday home. But on arrival, we couldn't get phone signal. We knew we were on Upper Deck, so we started driving up the hill. But we got a little lost until we remembered we were on Ocean View and were then able to follow the signposts to our accommodation.

A week before your arrival at Haven you get assigned a check-in time. Ours was between 2-3pm, which was prefect for us, as we had a long journey from London. Before arrival, you're asked how you plan to travel to the park and, if driving, you give your registration number - this can all be done easily through the app. You can arrive up to two hours before your chosen or designated check-in slot, but no earlier than 11am. You'll have access to the restaurants and free roam of outdoor spaces on the park, but your accommodation can only be accessed at your designated check-in time. You can pay extra to choose your check-in time.

As we drove up the hill to our accommodation, there was the summery sound of strimmers being used and the grassy areas between caravans was neat and tidy. The lovely view downhill to the sea felt like taking a deep relaxing breath.

Accommodation

At Haven you have different tiers of accommodation - Saver (most affordable), Bronze, Silver, Gold, Signature (these have the best views and are the most expensive), with a choice of two or three bedrooms, sleeping up to eight guests. After you've booked your holiday and chosen tier, you won't find out exactly which caravan you're in until 24 hours before your visit. But Haven does have a 'Choose Your Holiday Home' option, which allows you to pick your exact location and holiday home on the park before you arrive.

There are some exceptions, and this is at an additional charge, starting from £30. By visiting the Haven app and logging in to My Account, you can see if the 'Choose Your Holiday Home' option is available under 'extras for you'. If you're on holiday with a group and want to be next to each other, or if you have certain preferences, the 'Choose Your Holiday Home' option might be best for you. If you have mobility issues, Haven Devon Cliffs probably isn't for you, as it's very hilly. In that case, it's probably best to contact Haven directly, and they can assist you on which of their sites might better suit your needs. They've got 38 sites across the country.

As we pulled up outside our Gold tier two bed caravan, we were delighted by the wraparound balcony and how pristine the caravan looked from the outside. Devon Cliffs holiday park is sea facing, and the raised height of our caravan allowed for a lovely view from our balcony down over the park to the sea. The boys were excited, and we hurriedly unpacked the car. I think you usually have to break some sort of seal on door to enter but when we arrived, there was a maintenance member of staff fixing our TV so we were able to go straight in. Two sets of keys and our Play Passes were in an enveloped on the kitchen worktop.

We were surprised by how roomy the living area felt. There was a kitchen with a dishwasher (don't forgot to bring dishwasher tablets), microwave and oven, and a fridge freezer (which was great at we'd brought frozen COOK meals). The kitchen also came stocked with all the utensils and cutlery you'll need. But, appliances vary between tiers. For example, Saver and Bronze only have an under-counter fridge, and only some tiers have towels provided. So check the specifics of what's provided with your tier, so you can come prepared. Our caravan also had handy additions such as a hairdryer and plenty of hangers in the wardrobes.

In the kitchen there was also a four seater table. The living area had two three seater sofas (one was a pull-out bed) and a coffee table with pull-out footrests. There was a 40-inch Freeview TV, and one night, after a particularly busy day of activities, my husband and I were happy to sit back with a glass of wine and watch Celebrity Race Across the World. But Odhran and Reuben were disappointed not to have a TV that we could connect to our Netflix account.

The lounge area had patio doors that opened out on to the decking area, where there was a table if you fancied enjoying a meal outdoors. There was double glazing and a gas fire for those enjoying a Haven break during colder months.

Our caravan had two bedrooms, one with a double bed and one with two singles. The beds at Haven are made up for you on arrival. But towels are only provided in certain tiers. There was plenty of storage in our bedrooms, a TV in the main bedroom and a little dressing table. We found the beds comfortable, and I enjoyed sitting in bed at night with a book and the reading light on. These adjustable lights acted as handy nightlights for the boys' room. The main bathroom space held a shower, toilet, sink and shelves. But there was also an en suite off the main bedroom that was similarly sized. We brought toilet paper, but there was loo roll provided. But this is only in certain tiers of accommodation.

The caravan was immaculate, and there was a sweeping brush, dust pan and brush, and mop to keep the place clean. But we had to remember to bring our own bin bags, washing up liquid, tea towels and hand wash and tea bags.

Activities & Entertainment

Play Passes explained

You can book either a Haven Holiday or a Haven Hideaway break. If you're wanting just a base from which to explore the local area, then a Haven Hideaway provides your caravan, alongside access to restaurants, playgrounds and arcades on site. It does not include access to the swimming pool, the ability to book activities, or access to the entertainment venues. The Haven Holiday package is the most popular one, as this provides the Play Pass, which gives you access to everything. And you will be asked to show your Play Pass at the pools both indoor and outdoor, and by doormen on the entertainment venues.

If you're wondering whether it's worth having a Play Pass then that really depends on whether you're after the full Haven experience, or you're just looking for a self-catering base and have planned and booked in other experiences in the area. But I imagine it would be very hard to steer little kids away from pools and activities that they'll see taking place around them. We compared the cost of a Haven Holiday with a Haven Hideaway break for three nights over peak summer time next year, and depending on which park, you're looking at paying around £70-£90 more for a booking for a family of four if you go with a Haven Holiday rather than a Haven Hideaway.

Even if you don't do the evening entertainment, little ones will most likely want to use the indoor and outdoor pools and don't forget the daytime discos and shows too. If you've booked a Haven Hideaway break and then decided to add the Play Pass it can work out more expensive. Different parks have different prices but the cheapest Play Pass prices during peak times are £37 for an adult and £19 a child. At the most expensive parks, it's £59 for an adult and £29 for a child. Children under 4 don't need a Play Pass. But a parent will need one in order to take them into the pools or entertainment venues as they can't be unaccompanied. For example, without a Play Pass you wouldn't be able to sit by the outdoor pool and watch your toddler splash about.

What activities are available?

There are variations in the activities on offer at Haven holiday parks. At Devon Cliffs we found lots to choose from. You can pre-book your activities from 12-weeks in advance. Ours were only booked a couple of days before our visit, and you can book activities during your stay. We had no problem being able to book into everything we wanted to. But if your child has their heart set on a particular activity then I'd recommend booking early to avoid disappointment. Especially as you never know how busy a park is going to be until you arrive. Some activities, such as the Aqua Jets can book up quickly. We also enjoy having things pre-booked so we have a loose itinerary.

Take note of age and height restrictions. We booked the Aerial Adventure, as this was Reuben's first choice of activity. But I'd only noticed that it said for ages 6+, and didn't take note of the height restriction, which was a minimum height of 1.3m. Reuben was disappointed not to be tall enough to go on, but tears quickly turned to smiles when the helpful member of staff checked to see what might be available instead. There was space on the Tube Slide for the same time slot. So, Reuben took my husband's hand and skipped on down for some twisty-turny fun. Staff will be helpful where possible. But if other activities had been booked up, then Reuben would have missed out because I only checked the age requirement and not the specific height restrictions.

The Tube Slide is a new addition to Haven Devon Cliffs - you sit in an inflatable ring and zoom down. You get three slides per person and the activity lasts about 15 minutes. It costs £8 per person, but Reuben absolutely loved it.

A highlight for Odhran was the Aqua Jets, which Reuben was keen to do, but he was too young. They both loved the Jazz's Make a Bear Party, and Reuben has since been sleeping with his cuddly toy George and taking him along on days out. If you're wondering if your child might be a bit old to enjoy this activity - I was surprised to see kids older than Odhran and even adults taking part. You choose one of the mascots from Haven's Seaside Squad and you are given a bag with stuffing and a fabric heart to put inside your cuddle toy. Odhran wanted his Rory the tiger to have a hard fat belly, whereas Reuben wanted George to be soft and cuddly. So, it was nice that they could make their toy as they wanted. There was singing and dancing with Jazz in between, and they were given a little booklet to fill in lots of details about their character, including a birth certificate. Reuben loved the whole thing. Odhran was a little too old for the singing dancing part of the experience, but he loved creating his own cuddly toy to take home.

Another activity Reuben really enjoyed was the wall climbing, an experience that lasted half an hour. The boys were both super excited about the Nerf Battle. But ultimately this 45 minutes experience didn't live up to expectations. The kids ran around inflatables shooting at one another. But it could have benefitted from more structured tasks or challenges such as capture the flag. There are lots of experiences to suit all children, whether active, adventurous or creative - including an Inflatable Arena, pool inflatables, The Jump (free fall before landing on a soft giant air bag), Bungee Trampolines, firelighting techniques, sand bottle creations and pottery creations.

My husband and I didn't miss out on the fun either, and took each other on in a battle to see who could hit a bullseye in the target shooting. Activities range from a few pounds to around £20 for the Aerial Adventure and Build a Bear. If you spend more than £45 on activities, you get one free space on your cheapest activity. The activities can be booked through the app. But phone signal was patchy and we had to walk back to the main entertainment hub in order to be able to connect to the Wifi. This didn't bother me, as our activities were booked in advance, and I enjoyed feeling fully present on the holiday and not having to resist the urge to quickly check my work Teams chat or work emails, or find myself mindlessly scrolling Facebook.

Aside from the paid activities (which we found to be a little overpriced), it was disappointing not to see more free bookable experiences, such as we enjoyed at a self-catering resort in France. There was a free football activity. But this was the only free activity we spotted on the app during our visit. Everything else came at a cost, even ball sports and active tots activities cost £3 per child. There were a couple of play parks and Odhran and Reuben loved the sandy one with wooden climbing structures by the main entertainment hub. But I felt the park could have benefitted from a couple of free-play areas - somewhere to play ping pong, football (there was a multipurpose court but this was used for the paid-for activities such as Nerf Battle and Junior Segways) or a skate ramp or two.

What about the swimming pools?

Booking for the swimming pools opens 28 days before your stay and you can book up to 14 swim sessions. Each swim slot lasts 60 minutes. No booking is required for the outdoor pools. We'd pre-booked a swim slot for the afternoon of the day we arrived. But we arrived later than expected and missed the slot. But at the end of the day (5pm) there was an open slot that didn't require booking.

So, we went along to that. It meant we only got half an hour in the pool but that was enough time to get a few rides on the four lane slide and the tunnel slide, and a quick run around the water feature in the middle of the shallow end of the pool. The indoor pool was completely booked up for the following couple of days, and we weren't able to book a slot until the Thursday. So, like with the activities, try to book things in as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. But on the Wednesday, the sun was shining and we headed to the two outdoor pools. There was a large four lane outdoor slide too, but this was closed on and off during our visit and we never managed to get on.

What about the day time and evening entertainment?

The entertainment for the kids centres around Haven's original creation called The Seaside Squad. This consists of four cuddly animals, each with various interests and empowering strengths. Throughout the course of the holiday there were daily meet and greets, followed by individual character led discos and themed sessions, all lasting 30 minutes each. It certainly did personalise the kids entertainment but we found the daily offerings repetitive and aimed at kids in the younger age range. We felt there could have been more to keep older kids entertained. Odhran felt too old for The Seaside Squad but Reuben was happy to hit the dance floor and give it socks. There was a magic show one night, which both Odhran and Reuben enjoyed. There was also a panto on during our visit but it clashed with booked activities so we unfortunately missed this.

There are two main evening entertainment venues Bugsy's and Capones, both hosting similar music and performance options. The entertainment is divided into slots with performances aimed at kids first, following by more adult entertainment later in the night. The venues are large but fill up fast, and if you don't get in early you might struggle to get a seat. You can order drink and food (from the outlets on site) from your app, to be delivered to your table. But the boys wanted a Chicken Royale from Burger King, which was showing as sold out on the app. But when I left Capones and went to the Burger King outlet itself it was available. So I ordered and took the food back into Capones. Overall, we were unimpressed by the standard of the adults' entertainment and on a couple of nights we decided to forgo it in favour of a night relaxing back at the caravan.

Another couple of things to mention about entertainment at Haven Devon Cliffs are the small soft play, which is right next to the sports bar, so you can enjoy a drink, while keeping an eye on the kids, and the arcade - this is located in the heart of the entertainment hub. You have to walk through it to get anywhere. So, factor in a bit of spending money here, as it's unavoidable. We allowed the boys £10 each to spend in the arcade one night. It was gone in about 15 minutes but we'd set expectations so they knew they wouldn't be going in the arcade every night. There's an on-site shop for picking up essentials, food, drinks and snacks to take back to your caravan. We were surprised to find this well-priced, as often in holiday parks, the on-site shop can be over-priced.

What about the beach?

Haven Devon Cliffs is located on the coast in an area called Sandy Cove. There's a steep slope down to the sandy beach and a little beach bar should you get thirsty. My husband and sons were put off by the amount of seaweed both in the water and dried up on the beach, which attracted lots of tiny flies. But this didn't bother me so much, as there was plenty of sandy, seaweed free space on the beach to sit. We visited South Beach Cafe - the restaurant and bar above the beach - on the first day we arrived.

But it wasn't until the last day, after we'd checked out, that we actually went and spent several hours on the beach. After checkout, you can park for free in the car park next to South Beach Cafe, and continue to make the most of your day. On the beach, there was a lifeguard on duty, and the water was calm and shallow for several metres. So, it felt nice and safe for kids, and many people had inflatables and bodyboards. It wasn't packed and we had a lovely relaxing time. I'd packed a picnic, and the boys built sandcastles, leapt over the gentle waves and drew pictures in the wet sand. Our trip to the beach was a holiday highlight for me. It was a lovely way to spend the last day. But it was a steep walk back up to the car park so we were glad we'd brought ourtrolley. There was a shower and water fountain to wash off the sand and get dried before hopping in the car for the journey home.

Food & Drink

All the caravans have self-catering facilities. So, you can rustle up your own meals. We have a really effective cooler box that we got from Wickes that keeps things cool for days. So we packed up loads of meals from COOK to take with us and they were still frozen solid when we arrived at the park after a long drive from London. If you sign up for a free Friends & Family card with COOK this unlocks discounts and rewards. So, we were able to get five kids meals for £15. What we love about COOK is the ready meals are not only super convenient but they are also really tasty and healthy! We use a Yuka app to scan food to tell us if it contains any nasties. But COOK products rated Excellent, and we fell it helps to add variety to your diet when you're someplace where you might mostly be eating things like burgers and chips. We found it handy to have plenty of food and snacks in the caravan for when we returned with the intention of getting changed and going straight back out to eat but then the boys were tired and wanted to hang around the caravan a bit longer.

A Haven Food and Drink Card is a really convenient way to budget and pre-plan your food and drink spend, and they'll add 10% on top to help your money stretch further. The money must be pre-loaded before your holiday begins, and then it can be used in any of the food and drink outlets on site for dine-in or take-away. It's all done through the app, and once you place an order you show your unique code. Your new balance shows instantly after each spend, so you always know exactly how much you've got left in the pot. We found this really handy and would recommend. But it's worth being aware that any balance left on your card at the end of your holiday expires and is non-refundable. So, be sure to spend what's on there.

At Haven Devon Cliffs we had a broad choice of dining options, including Papa Johns, Slim Chickens, Burger King, Cook's Fish and Chips and Chopstix Noodle Bar. It's handy having this large chains, where you know what you're getting. We expected something a bit more upmarket at South Beach Cafe, where food was a bit pricier and they didn't do the same meal deals you can get at Devon Cliffs other on-site bar and restaurant, Mash and Barrel. But, while the views were beautiful, the menu sounded better than what was delivered, which was pretty bland. At Mash and Barrel, there are lots of offers to keep the family full for less, including Feed the Family for £20, two Roasts for £18, or two paninis and two soft drinks for £12. The food is basic but those prices really help families trying to keep the holiday on budget. Overall, we were disappointed by the food offerings at South Beach Cafe and Mash and Barrel. But the chain outlets delivered what you'd expect, and Cook's Fish & Chips had a board with meal deals, such as Feed the Family for £29.99, and lunch and mid-week specials.

When you take the kids swimming, it'll be hard to bypass Millie's Cookies as this is directly by the entrance/exit. The boys had more than their fair share of Millie's Cookies during our visit, and it's a nice post swim treat. It's worth mentioning that Bertie's Ice Cream van, which is next to the beach, was cash only.

During our holiday, we mostly drank the Madri, but would have liked to see a larger selection of beers on tap. We were tempted by the cocktails (price from £8) but then disappointed to see that rather than being freshly made, they came from a Funkin pre-mixed cocktail box. But with self-catering facilities and plenty of food outlet options you can tailor your meals to suit your own taste and budget. There's a small shop on site and a Tesco supermarket a few minutes drive away.

Prices

Four night Haven breaks start from £49. We searched what a four night Haven holiday (so Play Passes included) in a 2/3 bed Gold caravan at Devon Cliffs would cost for our family of four to visit in mid-August of next year, and the price is £1,125.

Book your Haven holiday here

Christmas at Haven

Haven is celebrating Christmas, with festive breaks available at five of its parks, including Cala Gran (Blackpool), Kent Coast (Kent), Primrose Valley (Yorkshire), Rockley Park (Dorset) and Seashore (Norfolk). Available from Friday 13 December, there's the option of 3, 4, 7, 10- and 14-night breaks. Christmas Day dinner is available to book at each park’s on-site restaurant for an addition charge, and to full immerse yourself in the festive spirit, accommodation options come complete with a 4ft pre-lit Christmas tree, lights and baubles (included in the price of the break). There'll be family festive entertainment, including The Santa Experience, a festive show, and family fun. Find out more here.

Tips for booking a Haven holiday

Take a Break's verdict

Haven Devon Cliffs is an affordable holiday set in a beautiful location. We found the grounds well-kept and the caravan immaculate. Our holiday ran super smoothly and the Haven app makes it really easy to organise every aspect your break. The kids enjoyed the pools and waterslides and there were lots of activities on offer. The kids entertainment felt aimed at younger children, and we'd have liked to see more free sports activities on offer. We found the adults' entertainment a bit lack-lustre and the food and drinks options from the in-house bars and restaurants were budget-friendly but left more to be desired. We'd rate our Haven holiday 3.7 out of 5.